Lost
by Johanna C
Summary: The woman was unfamiliar, the situation was baffling, the circumstances too sudden. What would Severus do when faced with this uncertainty? Would he gain back what he had so long ago forsaken? A sad one-shot.


Disclaimer: All characters and places belong to JK Rowling, WB and the various publishing houses. I do not own any intellectual property related to Harry Potter. I do not make any money from this piece of fanfiction.

Lost

The bell chimed softly in the early morning light and as the door opened, a soft breeze made its way into the small, cozy shop. It was a small figure that entered with the wind; a young woman on the brink of adulthood. Her bright eyes took in everything; missing nothing. She seemed to drink in the sights before her. It was a small shop, with shelves upon shelves of strange things and vials that gleamed in the soft light. The smell of herbs and potions filled the air. It was an apothecary.

As she closed the door quietly behind herself, she noticed that the shop was empty. There stood no merchant behind the long worktable that separated the customers from the trader. There was a door behind the worktable that she knew lead to the brewing rooms where the actual work was done. But she could not tell if anyone was back there, for a thick curtain cordoned off the area securely. So for now, she was alone in the shop.

She grazed her fingertips across the shelves lazily, taking in the myriad of common and some not so common potion ingredients filling them. She knew each and every one of them and her trained eye was pleased to note the quality and freshness of the precious commodities. Alongside these were finished concoctions of a dazzling variety. The potions were of all different colors and shades and they were all meticulously labeled with a fine, scrawling hand. But she did not need the labels on the vials to know the secrets of the potions they held. She gazed at the many vials with hesitant reverence and a touch of disgust. These things had once held so much power and beauty for her. Now they were tainted by a memory of a past she would not forget. Or forgive.

"Do you need assistance, Miss?"

The silky voice drew her from her thoughts and she turned around to gaze into dark onyx eyes. Her breath caught in her throat. The man standing before her held himself well. He had a distinct aura of seriousness and infallibility and just a hint of something dangerous underneath. This man was powerful. And very intelligent. Ignoring the question that had been aimed at her, the young woman gazed at the man critically. He wore a robe of pure black and she could tell that it was fortified with protective spells against spills and explosions; a brewer's robe, a Potion Master's robe. She noticed the hands that were held so elegantly at the sides. They were long-fingered and strong. The man had long black hair that just reached past his shoulders and it was held back neatly with a leather string. The hair framed a long face, which was lined with stress and seemed to emanate a kind of ingrained sadness and weariness. The lips were thin. The nose was aristocratic. But it was the eyes that commanded attention. They were dark and piercing; like they could see into your very soul. The eyes now held a hint of curiosity and irritation; she had stayed quiet for too long.

"Severus Snape, Potions Master?" Her voice was soft, but firm. Her eyes held steely determination.

"Yes. And who am I speaking to?" The irritation showed itself in his tone, and with it came a distinct sense of caution, and a warning.

"Lily. My name is Lily."

"And how may I help you, _Lily_?" The derision in the tone did not affect the young woman, and she stared back at the man arrogantly.

Looking deep into the Potion Master's eyes, Lily seemed to come to a decision. She stalked away from the increasingly irritated man and headed for the door. Instead of walking out, however, Lily flipped the sign that hung on the glass-fronted door. The people outside would now learn that the shop was not currently open for business.

Scowling at the pretentious woman, Severus prepared to bite her head off with his caustic words. But before he could utter a single syllable, Lily strode over to him and gave him a vicious slap across the face. So shocked was he, that Severus could not think coherently for a long moment. His mind whirled around the painful sting in his cheek and the furious expression on the beautiful young woman's face.

It was when a hand was raised to strike him again that Severus finally regained his senses and caught the offending arm in a vice-like grip. He stared down at the woman and his fury built slowly inside of him. Severus could not understand this ludicrous situation. He had never met this woman before. He had never even seen her in his life. What had caused her to come here to his shop and assault him so? Was she one of those fanatics who saw fit to personally punish him for his 'Death Eater' crimes? His anger flared ever higher at that thought. He had atoned for his crimes. He had served as a spy for countless years. He did not deserve this punishment.

The arm was wrenched from his grip but it was not raised to strike again. Instead, the woman seemed to compose herself and her next words were spoken in an icy tone.

"I need to speak with you." Severus moved to interrupt but was cut short by her next words.

"It's concerning Harry Potter."

This time, it was Severus' breath that was caught in his throat and his eyes clouded over with unwelcome memories. Harry Potter. Every time his name was uttered, it struck a painful chord in his heart.

"I have no concerns with Harry Potter. You will leave my shop and bring your insolence elsewhere." The sneer on his face was menacing.

Lily glared at the hateful man with utmost intensity. "This is important. It could be the difference between saving _your_ Death Eater life and saving my heroic one."

The words hit him like a sledgehammer and Severus could not help the slight gasp that slipped past his lips. Word for word, that very statement was what Harry used to say to him. He did not know what to say. How could this woman, this _girl_, know that? For the second time, Severus was left speechless.

Lily seemed to be satisfied with his silence and looked at him in expectation. Severus still could not wrap his usually sharp mind around her words. When her eyes flicked to the back of the shop meaningfully, he finally managed to pull himself together enough to stride quickly to the back where he had his small living space. He did not have to look back; Severus knew that the lady, this _Lily_, would follow.

Severus headed straight for his special shelf in the corner of his small sitting room. The shelf held his finest brews; the strongest and most refined alcoholic beverages he owned. Pouring himself a large snifter of brandy, Severus settled himself into his favorite chair in front of an unused fireplace. He glared at the woman who had perched herself in the opposite chair without question or permission.

"I would offer you tea, but I do not offer any hospitality to my malefactors. Or any uninvited guests in general."

"Then you have fallen a notch further in my books," Lily said with a flash of anger in her eyes.

Severus sneered, "And why would I even care to be mentioned in your….. _books_?"

"I would guess that you would not need to care. You do not care about anyone else but yourself, it seems." This time the anger flared to life within her, and did not fade.

"Do not presume to know anything about me, little girl." Severus tone dropped into a deadly low.

"I am _not_ a little girl. And you will never speak to me on such terms again," Lily spat with venom in her voice.

"I will not take that tone of voice from an insolent girl who thinks it is perfectly acceptable to barge into my shop and assault me in my own home!" Snape snarled.

"Then you will take my tone on behalf of Harry Potter!"

"How dare you! Who are you to speak on his behalf?!"

"I'm his daughter!"

Severus was silenced. His mind raced, trying to grasp the ridiculous declaration. The insolent woman was Harry Potter's daughter? Harry Potter was married? That traitorous thought was like a physical blow to Severus, it hurt that much.

Lily, on her part, seemed equally shocked with her outburst. The regret and flash of guilt on her face showed that she had not meant to spill that particular secret. She was on the edge of her seat, staring hard at Severus, whose eyes were clouded over with confusion and incomprehension. The silence that descended seemed deafening after their indignant shouts of a moment before. They sat there for a long time, unmoving and lost in their own thoughts. Finally, it was Lily who broke the silence with a soft, resigned sigh.

"It was not my intention to spill it out like that." Lily's expression hardened and she nodded her head slightly.

"My father asked me to treat you with kindness. He told me that you deserved better things, and that I was to respect and honor you. My every instinct and inclination tells me otherwise, but because I love my father, I will try to fulfill his wishes," Lily paused, "It would make my job a lot easier if you could extend the same courtesy to me."

The words somehow managed to penetrate the fog that had settled over Severus' mind, and he nodded ever so slightly. He could not understand how or why this young woman was here in his home. And a part of him felt that he did not want to know the answer. There was something niggling in the back of his mind that told him that he would not like the answer to his own questions.

Lily sighed heavily and looked Severus in the eyes. "I know all about your history with my father. He loved telling me stories about his days and Hogwarts, and you were always a prominent figure in the stories, it seems." Lily chuckled softly. "When I was a kid, I thought you were this omnipotent, terrifying ghoul that would swoop down and punish me every time I did something wrong."

Despite himself, Severus smiled slightly at the humor. This seemed to please the young woman somehow and her tense posture relaxed slightly.

"Dad let me carry on with that belief for quite a while. He said he had never seen me so well behaved before."

This time, Severus did smile. It was just like Harry. And somewhere deep in his closed off heart, he was elated that he still meant so much to the Savior. So much so that he had told his own daughter stories about him. His daughter. A large part of him was still trying to grasp that Harry's daughter was sitting on his couch, and then a thought struck him.

"So you're Lily Potter? I assume your mother took your father's name."

Lily tensed again when she replied, "Yes, I am Lily Potter. And I had no mother. Dad birthed me."

For the umpteenth time, Severus was shocked into silence. Harry was the mother. The mother. Who was the other father? An unfamiliar emotion coursed through Severus had his breathe caught in his throat. Who was the other father?

"You are." Lily's voice rang out clear and strong.

Severus' confusion only increased. What did this woman mean? Had he said his question out loud? If he had, that would mean…….

"Come again?"

"I said, 'You are'. My other father, I mean. I could see the question in your eyes."

His daughter? This was his daughter? He had a daughter? Impossible. Impossible. Harry Potter's child. His child? No. No. Impossible. This young woman? No. It couldn't be. His mind swirled in an impossible rate. His heart beat quickened and his hands began to shake. Just before he blacked out, Severus was mildly aware of Lily's grinning face.

--

"_Enervate_."

Severus was shocked awake and his own blurred eyes met with emerald green ones shining with mirth. He realized that he was sitting slumped in his chair, with Lily standing over him, her wand now at her side. Slowly, Severus pushed himself up into a more comfortable sitting position, not once meeting those familiar eyes again. Putting his head in his hands, Severus tried to rationally understand all he had been told.

Harry Potter had a daughter. A beautiful – he could freely admit it now – young woman named Lily Potter. And this vivacious lady was also his daughter. The progeny of Harry Potter and Severus Snape.

Severus rubbed the palm of his hands over his eyes viciously. This was too unexpected, too out of the normal realm of his life. He had started out the day with plans to stock up his Wolfsbane supply, and maybe order some of those rare Dragon Heartstrings he had seen in the brochure. He hadn't expected to have to deal with this woman who, out of the blue, waltzed into his shop, claiming to be his daughter. Severus sat up straighter at that. Claiming to be his daughter. How was he to know that the confessions of this Lily Potter (if that was even her name) were true? Looking up, Severus gaze hardened and he glared at the young woman who had seated herself back in the opposite chair.

"How do I know if what you say is true? Forgive me for my caution, but I am not inclined to take what you say as the honest truth."

"Somehow, I knew you'd say that. If I remember correctly, you have a Heritage Potion in your stocks. In that glass casing you keep all your other expensive potions in."

Severus was surprised. The potions in the aforementioned casing were rare and their existence was not commonly known to the masses. Furthermore, those vials were the only ones not labeled. How did this woman know what it was?

He masked his surprise with a sneer and retorted, "And why would I waste such a priceless potion on you? If you are lying, and I believe you are, I would just waste a perfectly good potion."

Snorting, Lily countered, "I assure you, I am not lying. Test my blood, just to assure your own doubts, and if it fails, and I am proven to not be related to you at all, I will pay you for the potion."

"Do you expect me to believe that you have enough to pay for a potion as rare as this?" Severus sneered.

Throwing a heavily jangling money pouch on the table, Lily said nonchalantly, "I have the money."

Without a word of acknowledgment, Severus headed to the front of the shop to retrieve the potion and hurriedly grabbed a piece of parchment on the way back to the sitting room. He didn't fail to notice that Lily had not moved from her position, and was sitting calmly in her chair, the mirth still dancing in her eyes. Placing the parchment on the desk, Severus uncorked the bottle and offered it questioningly to the woman.

Smiling softly, Lily extended her hand to the man. With a muttered spell, a small cut appeared on her finger and a few drops fell into the clear blue potion. In an instant, the red swirled and mixed with the blue, creating a dizzying array of magic-induced colors. When the potion finally settled into a soothing golden color, Severus nodded and healed the cut on Lily's finger.

Lily looked surprised at this considerate action, but did not comment on it. Looking expectantly at the Potions Master, Lily watched as Severus poured the sparkling golden liquid unto the waiting parchment. It was an amazing sight to see the liquid slowly seeping into the weathered parchment and disappearing without a trace. It took a few moments, but Severus was pleased to note that words and images slowly began appearing, looking to be clearly printed on the old paper. His potion was an obvious success.

Once the images stopped appearing and the process was complete, Severus began to feel nervousness boil in his stomach. This was the moment of truth. The Heritage Potion chronicled the ancestral lines of the person whose blood had been added and it went back at least 10 generations. But Severus was only interested in the names at the very bottom of the family tree. Sensing Lily's eyes gazing critically at him, Severus slowly reached out for the damning piece of parchment. His eyes scanned the words quickly, and he caught sight of Lily's name right on the bottom of the paper.

_Lily Octavius Potter_

And above that were two names that Severus had been dreading to see.

_Harold James Potter and Severus Octavius Snape_

Although he and Harry had never wed, Severus could clearly see his own family tree beside the Potter's. There could be no mistake. Lily Potter was his daughter.

"Dad gave me your middle name. He said I should at least have something that tied me to you."

Severus did not miss the disdain in her voice, and now he finally understood it. Harry had told his daughter everything, and here she was, exacting revenge on his behalf. Settling himself once again into his chair with a heavy sigh, Severus confirmed his beliefs.

"Harry told you everything. And now you hate me."

The last statement was said in almost a whisper, but the despair and anguish in the tone was clearly evident. Lily's mirth died down instantly and she too took a seat.

"No. I don't hate you. I dislike you a whole lot, but I don't think I hate you. At least not yet. I reserve the right to hate you once you tell me your side of the story."

There was a long pause.

"And don't lie to me, Severus Snape. And don't keep anything in, either. If you won't do it for my father, do it for me, a daughter you've never known. And despite my own prejudices, there is still a part of me that wants to get to know you as who you are."

At this, Severus looked up, a hopeful look in his eyes.

Lily shook her head, "I cannot accept you as a parental figure yet, if I ever can. But I am willing to see you as a person. Dad asked me to be kind, and I am willing to try."

Severus nodded his head like he had expected nothing less. Taking a deep breath, Severus readied himself for the most honest confession of his life. He had made too many mistakes already, and all of them had left him heart-broken and battered. He needed to get this one right, even if just so he could sleep more peacefully at night. This was his daughter – his flesh and blood – she deserved to know.

"To understand why I did what I did to your father, you will have to understand my past. My family had not always been engrossed in the Dark Arts, it was my grandfather that took us down that damned path. My father followed in his footsteps by default, but he was a spineless, cowardly creature and he never went far in this world. His only pride in life was his abuse of my mother, and later, me." At this he glanced at Lily. "This is not a plea for sympathy or pity. I expect neither from you. This is just a statement of the facts of my life. When I went to Hogwarts, I was bullied and teased for many things. It was not only the Marauders – your father's family – but most of the student population. There was nowhere that I felt safe or sheltered, so I turned to knowledge and developed a thirst for power. I was desperate to prove myself stronger than my bullies and my father. This, coupled with the violent upbringing and grandfather's influence, led me to make the first major mistake of my life."

Severus paused for a long moment. Memories he had long ago abandoned came back in full force. All the violence and the guilt. And the pain.

"I joined Voldemort's ranks as a Death Eater. I had deluded myself into thinking that it was through his guidance and the power of the Dark Arts that I would be able to smite my enemies and make myself stronger. In reality, I had made myself weaker by tying myself to a madman. I may have been – and still be – harsh and cruel with my words, but in my actions, I can only sink so low. I abhorred the killings and the torturing. I believed myself capable, but the actuality of the horrors was far worse than I had imagined. I turned to Dumbledore, and spied for the light. That was to be my redemption for my first mistake."

Severus paused once again, and Lily took the time to silently contemplate the man's words. Her father had told her all about this particular mistake, and she knew that her father thought Severus brave and cunning for the deception of the Dark and his stead-fast loyalty to the Light. Even though her prejudices screamed at her to shoot down his words as mere lies, the honesty and sincerity in the man's eyes made her unable to look upon situation with anything else but respect and admiration. When Severus continued, Lily listened intently with renewed faith.

"My second mistake concerned your father. I am a vindictive, bitter man. Do not be so surprised, I know that I am, and I am willingly admitting it to you. I was unjustly cruel on your father when he was a student. I saw him as a perfect outlet for my pent up frustrations. Neither the Dark Lord nor the Dark arts had given me the power or the revenge I wanted. But I had power over your father, I was his teacher. I bullied him and taunted him just like his father had done to me. I took my revenge out on Harry Potter, not understanding that he was not a carbon copy of James Potter. To this day, I still regret my actions. They are unforgivable. A sad, foolish, desperate act of the blind……"

"Was this guilt before or after you found out about my father's abuse at the hands of his relatives?"

Severus looked stunned for a moment at the question, but it was quickly replaced with understanding.

"I see he did tell you everything. I will not lie. I had stumbled upon it in one of our Occlumency lessons. My thirst for vengeance drove me to search for more of those memories of abuse; so convinced was I that they were fake. I was sure that he had made up all those stories of beatings and virtual enslavement. And when I realized that those horrid memories were in fact the honest truth, I was even angrier. I hated your father even more, for awhile, for not being the stuck up, spoiled brat I had been desperate to see. That whole episode, and my unfair prejudice against your father was my second mistake."

Severus fell silent and looked at Lily expectantly. She seemed to be on the verge of a confession.

"My father told me all about those times. He told me about how you used to scare him during his first few years. How you would pick on him for his unwanted fame, and give him unwarranted detentions. He said he had never met a more malicious man in his entire life. And he also said that you scared him those first years more than Voldemort ever did."

With every word from Lily's mouth, Severus hung his head lower and his complexion paled just a little. It was one thing to admit to oneself in quiet, it was another to have confirmation of his atrocity from the mouth of a person had wronged; for those words were Harry's, Severus knew this. The voice was Lily's, but the words were the words Harry had spoken to his daughter. And it hurt.

"But he also explained to me why you did it. He explained to me why he forgave you. My father explained to me why you stopped hating him. It was Dumbledore's death that got to the both of you. Dad said he was like a father to both of you, and he hated you for killing him. Dad said that he had never hated someone with as much passion as he hated you. Dad said it was because you were real, and he knew you, that's why he feared you and hated you more than he ever did Voldemort. He told me many times that the scaly one was more like a phantom to him, like a ghost you couldn't really grasp. But you were real, and he could reach you, so his emotions were so much more potent around you. Dad told me about how he tracked you down. It was actually one of my favorite bedtime stories, actually."

At this Lily smiled, and Severus was caught by just how much she looked like her father when she smiled. She had Harry's eyes, and it seemed that she had his smile too.

"He tried countless spells, used countless contacts, and he finally found you in a deserted cottage in the middle of nowhere. He said that if the cottage hadn't been in Dumbledore's name, and had clearly stated that it was bequeathed to you, he would have just killed you on sight. Then came the most exciting part, to me at least. You two trashed it out in the brawl of the century. Dad would always start jumping around and waving his wand around at this part."

Lily's smile turned into a grin.

"Dad said that if not for the silencing charm, Voldemort would have been able to track the both of you down from wherever, just by following the sounds of your screaming match. He said that you hexed each other black and blue and it wasn't until both of you collapsed on the floor in exhaustion that you were able to have a somewhat civil conversation. Dad said that that day was a miracle. It was a clean slate for the both of you. No more prejudice, no more bratty behavior. It was just Harry and Severus; no more Potter and Snape. That's how he put it."

Severus didn't know what to say. It was true what Lily said, and he knew that that day had been a critical step in their relationship, but he did not know what to say. In the end, Severus just decided to continue where she left off.

"After that… episode… we started a tentative alliance. I went back to the Dark Lord, and he proclaimed me his most faithful. Harry went back to his friends, and he trained. We met when we could, in that old abandoned shack. We exchanged information, and we trained together. I do not know when we started to have friendly conversations, but it somehow became routine. Then I started looking forward to the meetings. It took me a long time to get past my stubbornness to admit that I felt something for your father; something more than just tolerance. And when I did admit it verbally – in a fit of frustration – to your father, it took an even longer time to believe that he could reciprocate my feelings. I now understand that I never really believed him at all."

Severus drifted off for awhile, a faraway look on his face. Lily could see that this was painful for the man, but she had to be know, she just had to. And she didn't care if she had to be selfish or hurtful to find out what she wanted. Her father had sacrificed enough to this man for the both of them.

"That was the third mistake I made. Not believing him, and not believing myself. And worst of all, denying him. I denied my feelings for him, my love for him. I denied it to myself, and I denied him of it. I was too stubborn, too foolish. I refused to believe that Harry loved me, either. I refused it. I supported him and trained him the best I could. I trained him to be the Savior he was meant to be. And when he finally defeated Voldemort, I left him."

Severus wiped away the tears he had unknowingly shed. The pain was too intense, too fresh. Looking up into Lily's eyes, Severus was surprised to see tears in her eyes too. Part of him died at the sight. Lily looked so much like her father; she had the same emerald green eyes that haunted his nights. To see those eyes, and that beautiful face flooded with anguish was crippling his heart. But he needed to finish, he needed to finish his story, for both their sakes.

"I left him. I left him alone, with assurances of my dislike of him. I broke his heart, and lost mine. This mistake, I can never forgive myself for. Leaving your father, and denying our love, is the single most devastating mistake of my life."

The tears were flowing freely now, and Severus could do nothing to stop them. He wept for his lonely nights of heartache. He wept for the countless years of regret. But most of all, he wept for Harry, and this precious young woman who was his daughter. That his mistake had robbed himself of life's greatest gift was overwhelming, that the mistake had ravaged both Harry and his child was unforgivable.

The two grieved, lost in their own thoughts for a long while. They were united in their love for Harry, but where Lily was faithful and loyal to her father, Severus was a betrayer and a tormentor. The difference was heartbreaking. Finally, it was Lily who broke the silence with her words.

"I am a Potions Mistress, you know."

The look on Severus' face was one of extreme shock and a touch of wonderment.

"Don't be so shocked. It seems I got your talent in that area. Potions used to hold so much beauty for me. I…. I used to love it. Dad made me my own potions lab in the basement of our house. I used to spend hours down there brewing anything I could think of. I brewed for fun, and I loved it. Dad would buy me these potion books, some of them so old that I couldn't even understand the hand it was written in. But he always helped me translate them, even though he hated potions. He bought me all these expensive ingredients, just because his little girl loved them. He gave me everything I ever wanted, even when I know now that it must have hurt him to see me taking after you so much. He still supported me. I loved Potions, and now it's spoilt for me."

Lily's voice was anguished.

"Don't you see? It was not until recently that Dad told me your full name. Not until recently did I find out that the man who had broken my father's heart was Severus Snape; the very man I had been looking up to as a Potion genius. Once I found out who you truly were, once I was old enough to truly understand my father's stories, I shunned you. Once I figured out just how much you had hurt my father, I despised you. I don't want to be anything like you. I know I got my gift with potions from you. And I don't want it anymore. Why couldn't I be in love with Quidditch? Or music? Dad always loved music. He has a beautiful voice…."

"I'm sorry."

The anguish in his voice was equal to that of Lily's. Her words stung, and broke his heart, but he deserved it. And he was sorry – irrationally so, since he could do nothing about the talents she inherited – but he was sorry that once again he had caused a person so much pain. His daughter. He hung his head.

"I know you're sorry. But I don't hate you, and I don't despise you anymore."

Severus looked up at that.

"Dad told me to be kind, and I am looking past my prejudices now. I can see why my father loves you. He forgave you, you know. For leaving him. He said he understood your reasons, even if you didn't share them with him. I don't think I can forgive you just yet, but I don't hate you."

Severus shook his head.

"It is more than I deserve. But I am grateful."

Lily nodded and stood up. Severus had been expecting this. He had spilled his soul, Lily knew all she wanted to know, and now it was time for him to deal with the heartache, alone.

Silently, they walked to the front of the shop. The street outside was bustling with people going about their daily routine. No one spared a glance at the inconspicuous apothecary and no one cared that it was not open for business on that bright, sunny day. It seemed no one needed any potions, just for today. Just when Severus was trying to come to grips with losing this beautiful young woman so soon after finding her, Lily turned around and looked at him critically. Her face was serious, but in her eyes, Severus saw a flicker of hope.

"Do you love him?"

Unable to answer otherwise, Severus spoke, his voice sincere and sad, "Yes. I will always love him."

"Harry is dying."

Severus physically staggered under the weight of those words. Dying? His Harry? His young, vibrant, innocent Harry? No. No. Impossible.

A firm hand on his shoulder stopped him from collapsing utterly.

"Severus. Severus. Listen to me now."

Looking into familiar green eyes, Severus nodded. He would listen. He needed to hear.

"Father is dying. He has given up on life. He believes me grown up enough to take care of myself, and he wants to be released from the heartache. He loves you Severus, he has and always will. He made me promise to meet you after his death. He wanted me to meet my other father. But I am here now. Harry is not dead, not yet. But he is dying. His magic is waning."

Severus nodded dumbly. The guilt was coming back in insurmountable waves. He was killing his Harry. His foolish mistakes, his stubbornness, his refusal to love was killing the man he cherished above all else. Harry's magic was fulfilling the wish of its master; Harry didn't want to live with the heartache, his magic allowed him a slow, painless death.

"Severus. Listen to me. You must come with me. This is your redemption. Save my father. Please. He thinks I can live without him, I cannot. Severus, I cannot live without him. Love him. Please."

His mistakes, his weaknesses and his guilt, which for so long had consumed his life, now vanished in an instant. In front of him now, Severus saw possibilities. Redemption. A chance to right the greatest wrong in his life. To love again. He would not fail this time. He looked at his daughter and said it out loud.

"I will not fail this time."

Lily nodded again, this time hope burning brightly in her eyes. Desperation had driven her here, to the help of a father she had never known. She had taken a leap of faith on a man she had no reason to trust. But now, looking into the tortured eyes of Severus Snape, Lily saw the hope for a brighter future for the father she loved. Lily saw in his eyes, the determination to make up for his mistakes. The passion, and the love she saw reflected in those dark orbs erased her mistrust and her doubts. This Severus, this new, wiser Severus Snape, would not hurt her father.

Together, Severus and Lily emerged into the bright afternoon sun. The light was no longer mocking in its cheeriness, it was welcoming. It seemed to welcome the new family. The family that was lost, separated by stubbornness and pride, was now found.

* * *

Author's Note:

I actually meant for Harry to be dead, but as I was writing, I realized that I couldn't be that cruel. I just couldn't. This way is better, happier. I've written more than enough death-fics. Hope you guys enjoyed reading it. :)


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